To help ensure water availability, Manila Water recently undertook major refurbishment of its Curayao Reservoir in Rodriguez, Rizal. The 16-year-old reservoir had undergone several repairs until it was decommissioned from 2011 to 2018. Water supply challenges prompted the company to operate the facility again and when production from deep wells increased late 2020, the reservoir manifested multiple leaks and cracks and had to undergo several minor repairs. Before the rehabilitation, it was only running at 75% to 80% capacity to lessen the impact of static pressure on the cracks and leaks.
The Curayao reservoir is one of the six (6) reservoirs located in Manila Water’s Marikina Grid. These reservoirs have been serving as storage for water supply and for emergency response for Marikina and neighboring towns of San Mateo and Rodriguez.
The rehabilitation of the reservoir, which cost Php 16.9M, began earlier this year, with the overall replacement, from dismantling to installation of the new tank, taking only two (2) months. Construction work is 100% completed and the facility is now ready for testing and commissioning.
Apart from ensuring that the reservoir adheres to water standards and regulations, the project team also seeks to ensure the facility’s resilience. “The main challenge for this project is the Geotechnical Test as we need to consider the soil stability to ensure that in the event of earthquake or calamities, the reservoir can handle the impact from it,” said Construction Manager Julius Cruz.
Once fully operational, the new reservoir will help ensure supply reliability and will maximize the Curayao system to up to 11 million liters of water per day (MLD) that will provide water supply to at least 21,699 households.
